This invention relates generally to an inflation based safety system for use in a transportation vehicle and more particularly to an inflatable safety restraint system for use in a motor vehicle such as a motor car for use in conveying an operator and at least one passenger.
Inflatable protective cushions used in passenger vehicles are a component of a relatively complex protection system. Such systems typically include an impact sensing device in communication with a gas generator which releases an inflating medium to fill the cushion during an impact event. The inflated cushion is deployed from a compact storage area which is typically located in the dash panel in the case of frontal impact cushions or in the door frame, along the roof line or under the seat in the case of side impact cushions. In both frontal and side impact configurations, the cushion is required to provide adequate dimensional coverage between the occupant to be protected and the interior portions of the vehicle against which the occupant will otherwise be thrown.
In the case of a standard motor car, the vehicle operator is relatively easily protected from injury arising from frontal impact by disposition of a cushion within the steering column. Such driver""s side cushions tend to be of a relatively simple construction formed from two circular pieces of fabric sewn along their perimeters. Such a simple configuration proves to be adequate due to the fact that the steering column serves to extend the zone of impact towards the operator with the result that the cushion is not generally required to incorporate any extensions to travel from the storage area to the occupant. Deployment from the steering column also tends to reduce the effective area over which the cushion must be effective since the vehicle operator typically will be seated in relatively close opposing relation to the steering column during any collision event.
Inflatable cushions for use in the protection of drivers against side impacts or passengers against side or frontal impacts must generally have a much more complex configuration since the surfaces to be covered by the cushion are much broader and substantially more distance may exist between the zone of impact by the occupant to be protected and the practical storage location for the cushion within the vehicle structure. Some of the cushions which have been proposed for use in passenger and side applications include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,498 to Keshavaraj; U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,393 to Keshavaraj; U.S. Pat. No 5,788,270 to Haland et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,414 to Bishop; U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,594 to Krickl; U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,273 to Hawthorn et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,337 to Yamaji; U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,216 to Wehner et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,729 to Watanabe; U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,071 to Wallner et al.; U. S. Pat. No. 4,988,118 to Good et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,529 to Backhaus; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,873 to Buchner et al. (all incorporated herein by reference).
As will be appreciated, many of the previous configurations have required either complex curved seaming operations and/or have utilized geometries which cannot be cut from a roll of fabric or other base material without substantial waste. That is, the pattern for the individual panels forming the cushion cannot be laid out in a close-packed arrangement such that common cut lines are used and fabric between the panels is not wasted. These deficiencies have lead to relatively long assembly times as well as to poor fabric utilization, thereby increasing the overall cost of manufacturing passenger and extended side passenger cushions.
The general object of the present invention is to provide highly efficient inflatable restraint cushions for use in passenger and side impact situations which cushions are capable of being formed with a very low level of wasted fabric or other base material.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide highly efficient inflatable restraint cushions for use in passenger and side impact applications which may be formed using substantially all straight seams.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a frontal impact inflatable restraint cushion for use on the passenger side of a motor vehicle which may be seamed in not more than 95 seconds.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a common fabric panel configuration which is useable in a highly efficient manner for both frontal and side impact applications.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an inflatable restraint cushion for use on the passenger side of a motor vehicle formed by folding and seaming a material blank of textile fabric such that the seams enclosing the impact portion of the cushion are disposed substantially along the bias of the base fabric forming the cushion.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a highly efficient frontal impact inflatable restraint cushion for use on the passenger""s side of a motor vehicle having an absence of seams in the region of impact by the vehicle occupant during a collision event.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a method for forming a highly efficient substantially flat curtain cushion for use in protecting a vehicle occupant during an extended roll over event which cushion retains at least about 90 percent of its deployment pressure for 60 seconds following deployment.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an inflatable restraint system for use in a transportation vehicle having a dash panel and space for an operator and a passenger is provided. The restraint system includes at least one gas generator housed within the dash panel and an inflatable cushion in fluid communication with the gas generator. The inflatable cushion which may be formed from a single blank of material includes an impact portion for contact with the passenger during a frontal collision and a neck portion which extends away from the impact portion towards the gas generator. The impact portion of the inflatable cushion has a seam free contact surface for contact with the passenger during a collision event and a rear surface which opposes the dash panel upon inflation. The impact portion and the neck portion are adjoined and enclosed by a plurality of substantially straight seams. The inflatable protective cushion is characterized by a substantially arcuate inflated profile such that the impact portion of the cushion extends in curved relation at least partially around the dash panel during a collision event. The inflatable protective cushion is formed from one or more precut panels of fabric or other base material which panels have geometric configurations such that the precut panels may be cut according to a repeating pattern from a roll of fabric or other base material in a close packed orientation substantially with minimal waste across the interior of such roll of fabric. The inflatable protective cushion being further characterized by a low structural seam assembly time.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
While the invention is illustrated and will be described in connection with several potentially preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are in no way to be construed as restrictive of the invention. On the contrary, it is the intent of the applicants to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the true spirit and scope of the invention as limited only by the allowed claims as appended hereto.